Buffer for railway rolling stock



D. C. DAVIS.

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-22.1921.

Patented June 209 M22.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IAQI.

D. C. DAVIS.

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG,22, 1921.

1L A21, l 3., Eatenbed June 20, 1922.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2- A Trag/w96,

UNITED stares FFICE.

PATENT DONALD C. DVIS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GOULD COUPLER COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BUFFER FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 2G, 1922.

T o all lwhom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, DONALD C. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Enders for Railway Rolling Stock, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in buffers for express, mail and other cars of railway rolling stock which are used in passenger service but which are not provided with platforms such as used on passenger cars, the buffers extending outwardly beyond the ends of the cars or other rolling stock to which they are applied so as to adapt them for cooperation either with similar buffers on the adjacent cars or elements of a train, or with the usual platform buffers of passenger cars.

The objects of the invention are to provide an eilicient buffer of the character stated which has a high capacity with a long travel, and is of a novel construction adapting the buffers to be produced economically, and so that they can be made at 'small expense, of different lengths to suit different equipments which require the buffers to project a greater or lesser distance from the ends of the cars or rolling stock to which they are applied; and also to improve buffers for railway rolling stock in the other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

in the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly in section of a buder embodying the invention, and showing a car end sill to which the buffer is secured.

F ig. 2 is a plan view thereof partly in section.

F ig. 3 is a side sectional elevation thereof. showing by broken lines, the position of the associated car coupler.

F ig. t is a longitudinal sectional elevation thereof on line 4 4, F ig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a similar view but showing the position of the parts when the bu'er head has been forced inwardly.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the stem guides detached.

A represents the end sill of a railway car-` or other railway rolling stock. hereinafter for the sake of brevity, termed a car,7 and B, F ig. 3, indicates the position of the car coupler, which, as usual, is carried by a drawbar extending outwardly beneath the end sill from the draft gear. A channel beam end sill A having outwardly directed flanges is shown, but the buer can be used with end sills or cai ends of other construction.

The buffer comprises a housing C which is rigidly secured to and projects outwardly or forwardly from the end sill A, a transversely extending buffer head or plate D pivotally connected to the outer ends of and supported by side stems E which are movable inwardly and outwardly in t-he housing. and spring devices arranged in the housing ment of the buffer stems and bu'er head.

The housing C is composed of a main partl or casting 10 which extends transversely of the car parallel with and is riveted or otherwise secured rigidly to the outer or front face of the end sill, and two separate guides or cylinders 11 which are detachably secured to and project outwardly or forwardly from the end portions of the casting l0 and form guides for the buffer stems E. Preferably the main part. 10 of the housing consists of a hollow casting having two spring chambers 12 in its end portions and a hollow middle part 13 extending between the spring chambers at the lower portion of the casting and forming a striking block for the usual horn on the car coupler. `The casting 10 is further provided with a back plate or portion 1i by which it is secured to the end sill by means of rivets or other suitable fastenings, as at 14a, and with suitable strengthening ribs 15 connecting this back plate with the hollow or chambered portions of the casting. Each of the two stem-guides. which form forward extensions of the spring chambers of the housing. preferably' consists of a cylindrical casting with strengthening side ribs 16. rl'he inner end of the guide cylinder is seated in a circular hole 1i' in the front or outer wall of the main casting l0 and is removably secured therein preferably by bolts 18 passing through bolt holes ih a laterally project-ing flange 19 on the guide cylinder adjacent its inner end and adapted to bear fiat against the front face or wall 105 adapted to move inwardly and outwardly 110 in the guide cylinders'll. These stems are wardly extending preferably hollow or-of cup shape having solid outer ends;and open inner ends and are thus adapted to receive and confine the .outer ends of coil springs 20 which normally hold the stems and buer head outwardly in the posit-ion shown in Figs. 2 to 4, and yieldingly'resist the inward movement thereof. A double coil spring consisting of ra heavy outer spring and a lighter inner spring, is preferably employedlin each stem. These springs 20 extend into the spring chambers 12 of the main casting and bear atl their inner ends against movable followers 21 which in turn bear. against and are normally pressed outwardly by leaf `springs orspring plates 22 arranged in `the spring chambers of the housing between the' inner or rear walls thereof and the followers'2l. Preferably the main casting lower portions ,ofy its spring ,chambers 12 with spaced forwardly and rearwardly extending ribs 23 which serve as supports for the spring plates and as supports and guides for the followers 21. The followers 21 are preferably provided with forwardly or outstuds 24 which extend into the `hollow buffer stems within the coil springs 20. Said studs serve to center the followers or prevent the displacement of the followers from the inner ends of the' springs and also act as sto s to limit the inward movement of the bu er stem and buffer head. Bosses 25- formed on'the inner walls of the spring chambers are adapted to be engaged by the spring plates to limit the deflection of the latter and cooperate with 4the follower studs 24 in arresting the inward movement of the b uiier head and stems before the coil springs can be driven solid or the spring plates deflected suiiiciently to be given a permanent set.

The outward movement of the buii'er stems in their guides can be limited and the unintentional disengagement .or removal of the stems from their guides prevented by any suitable means. Preferably7 for this purpose keys 26 are employed which are bolted te the side ribs 16 of the stem guides and have portions which project laterally through holes in the side walls of the guides into longitudinal slots 2T in the sides of the bu'er stems. These keys can be readily unbolted or removed when it is desired to remove the buffer stems from the housing.

By making the buffer housing with the separable or removable guides or cylinders 11 for the buffer stems, these cylinders or guides are comparatively small and can be readily and cheaply machined in an ordinary lathe so as to insure free movement and the proper guiding of the bu'er stems in the operation of the buffer. By reason of this construction, also, the buffer can be readily adapted to diiferent cars or rolling stock 10 is provided in the in which it is necessary or desirable for the buffer to project to different distances from the end sills or parts to which the buffers are attached, since it is only necessary to provide stem guides of different appropriate lengths, and longer or shorter guides, as may be required, can be used with the main part or casting 10 which is made in one standard .size for all buffers irrespective of the required overall length of the buffers.

The operation of the buder should be apparent from the above description without further explanation.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a buffer for railway rolling stock, the combination of a housing adapted to be ksecured to and project outwardly `from the end of therolling stock, said housing comprising a transversely elongated main casting having spring chambers in its end portions in fixed positions relatively to one another, and separate hollow stem-guides which are separably secured to said main casting and form outward extensions of said spring chambers in predetermined positions relatively to each other, buffer stems arranged to slide inwardly and outwardly in said stem-guides, a buffer head carried by said stems, and springs arranged in said spring chambers and acting to yieldingly resist .inward movement of said buii'er head.

2. In a buffer for railway rolling stock the combination of a housing adapted to be secured to and project outwardly `from the end of the rolling stock, said housing comprising a transversely elongated main casting having spring chambers in its end por.- tions, said spring chambers having stemguide seats in definite fixed positions relative to one another, and separate hollow stem-guides which are separably and removably secured to said main casting and vform outward extensions of said spring chambers, said stem-guides having inner ends seated in said stem-guide seats of said spring chambers, buffer stems arranged to slide inwardly and outwardly in said stem-guides, a buifer head carried by said buffer stems and springs arranged in said spring chambers and acting to yieldingly resist inward movement of said buffer head.

3. In a buffer for railway rolling stock, the combination of a housing adapted to be secured to and project outwardly from the end of the rolling stock, said housing comprising a transversely elongated main casting having spring chambers in its end portions, and separate hollow stem-guides which are separably secured to said main casting and form outward extensions of said spring chambers, buffer stems arranged to slide inwardly and outwardly in said stem.. guides, followers movable inwardly and outwardly in said spring chambers, coil springs between said buffer stems and said followers, and

`spring plates arranged between said followers and the inner ends of said spring chambers, said coil springs and spring plates aeting to yieldingly resist inward movement of said bui'er head.

4. ln a butler for railway rolling stock, the combination of a housing adapted to be secured to and project outwardly from the end of the rolling stock, said housing comprising a transversely elongated main cast ing having spring chambers in its end portions, and separate hollow stem-guides which are separably secured to said main casting and form outward extensions of said spring chambers, hollow buer stems arranged to slide'inwardly and outwardly in said stemguides, followers movable inwardly and outwardly in said spring chambers and having stds' projecting into said butler stems and forming stops to limit the inward movement of said bu'er stems, coil springs between said buii'er stems and followers around said studs, and spring plates arranged between said followers and the inner ends of said spring chambers, said Coil springs and spring plates acting to yieldingly resist inward movement of said buffer head.

DUNALD C. DAVIS. 

